Google doodles

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November 14, 2017
131st Anniversary of the Hole Puncher





It’s a familiar scene with a familiar tool: the gentle rat-tat-tat on the table as you square up a dangerously thick stack of papers, still warm from the printer. The quiet anticipation and heady uncertainty as you ask yourself the ultimate question: can it cut through all this? The satisfying, dull “click!” of the blade as it punches through the sheets. The series of crisp, identical holes it produces, creating a calming sense of unity among an otherwise unbound pile of loose leaf. And finally, the delightful surprise of the colorful confetti byproduct – an accidental collection of colorful, circular leftovers.

Today we celebrate 131 years of the hole puncher, an understated – but essential – artifact of German engineering. As modern workplaces trek further into the digital frontier, this centuries-old tool remains largely, wonderfully, the same.

Doodle by Gerben Steenks

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April 6, 2014
Cricket T20 World Cup 2014 Final

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Apr 7, 2014
Victoria Ocampo's 124th Birthday [born 1890]





Victoria Ocampo was an Argentine writer and intellectual, described by Jorge Luis Borges as La mujer más argentina ["The quintessential Argentine woman"]. Best known as an advocate for others and as publisher of the literary magazine Sur, she was also a writer and critic in her own right and one of the most prominent South American women of her time. Her sister Silvina Ocampo, also a writer, was married to Adolfo Bioy Casares.

[9A]

Apr 8, 2014
Dionisios Solomos's 216th Birthday





Dionysios Solomos was a Greek poet from Zakynthos. He is best known for writing the Hymn to Liberty, which was set to music by Nikolaos Mantzaros and became the Greek and Cypriot national anthem in 1865 and 1966 respectively. He was the central figure of the Heptanese School of poetry, and is considered the national poet of Greece—not only because he wrote the national anthem, but also because he contributed to the preservation of earlier poetic tradition and highlighted its usefulness to modern literature. Other notable poems include Ὁ Κρητικός [The Cretan], Ἐλεύθεροι Πολιορκημένοι [The Free Besieged]. A characteristic of his work is that no poem except the Hymn to Liberty was completed, and almost nothing was published during his lifetime.

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January 16, 2013
Teacher's Day 2013

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January 16, 2017
Teachers' Day 2017 [Thailand]

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January 16, 2016
Teacher's Day 2016 [Thailand]




“A true teacher is one who, keeping the past alive, is also able to understand the present” –Confucius

Teachers are our mentors, friends, and catalysts. They’re the wild, eager sparks that can, with a word, set our passions ablaze. Not quite parents, they nevertheless raise us to be the very best versions of ourselves. And their impressions last lifetimes, as the lessons we’ve learned are passed down to others, like inheritances of wisdom. Today, let’s celebrate teachers, one of the noblest and most selfless of callings all across the world.
Happy Teacher’s Day!

[9A]

May 15, 2012
Teachers' Day 2012

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May 15, 2014
Teachers Day 2014 - Mexico

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May 15, 2008
Anniversary of the First Film Projection





In 1886 Louis Le Prince applied for a US patent for a 16-lens device that combined a motion picture camera with a projector. In 1888, he used an updated version of his camera to film the motion picture Roundhay Garden Scene and other scenes. ... It was the first commercial projection.

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May 15, 2013
Frank Hornby's 150th Birthday




Frank Hornby was an English inventor, businessman and politician. He was a visionary in toy development and manufacture, and although he had no formal engineering training, he was responsible for the invention and production of three of the most popular lines of toys based on engineering principles in the 20th century: Meccano, Hornby Model Railways and Dinky Toys. He also founded the British toy company Meccano Ltd in 1908, and launched a monthly publication, Meccano Magazine in 1916.

Hornby's inventions and initiatives made him a millionaire in the 1930s, and he entered politics in 1931 when he was elected as a Conservative MP for the Everton constituency. Hornby's legacy has persisted long after his death with enthusiasts all over the world still building Meccano models and collecting his toys. The 150th anniversary of Hornby's birth was celebrated in Liverpool and Brighton on 15 May 2013.

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May 15, 2015
80th Anniversary of the Opening of the Moscow Metro





All aboard! When you take a ride on the Moscow Metro, you’re not just commuting, you’re also going on a trip through time. One of the busiest public transport systems in the world, the vast network of Russian metro stations double as a world-class museum. From the mosaics and frescoes of Kiyevskaya through the stained glass of Novoslobodskaya, the ornate chandeliers of Komsomolskaya and to the modern homage to Dostoyevsky in Dostoyevskaya -- it’s an experience far beyond a daily commute. Since it was developed throughout 8 decades, Russia’s phases in art, poetry and science all shine through as an organic retelling of the nation’s past.

80 years ago today, hundreds camped out on the streets overnight hoping to be on the very first metro train at 7am. It took more than 30 years to come up with a solution to the city’s transport problems, but the final result was a feat of engineering to be able to tunnel through the city’s challenging soils and rivers. The first train travelled along an 11-km route, with one line and 13 stations. Fast forward 80 years, it now travels along 327.5 km, with 12 lines and 196 stations, and almost 10 million passengers a day.

To celebrate this day, Doodler Matt Cruickshank drew inspiration from vintage russian posters. He started with the map in the metro’s current lines colors and distinctive radial-circle structure but decided to combine the old with the new and ended up using sepia-toned fashion of a vintage Russian poster. He also added a classic train with ‘80’ on the front to pay homage to the anniversary.

[9A]

December 10, 2019
Anatoly Tarasov’s 101st Birthday





Anatoly Vladimirovich Tarasov was a Russian ice hockey player and coach. Tarasov is considered "the father of Russian ice hockey" and established the Soviet Union national team as "the dominant force in international competition". He was one of the first Russians to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 1974 in the builders category. Tarasov also played and managed in the sport of football, but is best known for his work in developing the USSR's ice hockey program.

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December 10, 2013
Milan Rúfus' 85th Birthday




Milan Rúfus was a Slovak poet, essayist, translator, children's writer and academic. Rúfus is the most translated Slovak poet into other languages.Rúfus, whose works have been translated into more than 20 languages, had been nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature multiple times beginning in 1991. He became the first winner of the international Crane Summit Award for poetry 2008, introduced in Bratislava on his birthday, 10 December 2008. As part of the award, his poems have been translated into Chinese.

In 1998, a minor planet 33158 Rúfus was named after him.

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December 10, 2019
Afifa Iskandar’s 98th Birthday

“I want those who left me to come back from the journey.
I want to give them part of my soul as a keepsake.”
—Afifa Iskandar, “It Burned My Soul”

Today’s Doodle celebrates the “Iraqi Blackbird,” Afifa Iskandar, on what would have been her 98th birthday. Inspired by her love of poetry, Iskandar built up an extensive catalog over the course of her career and is widely known as one of the most acclaimed female singers in Iraqi history.
Born in Mosul on this day in 1921, Iskandar started singing at the age of 5, performing her first concert as a teenager in a small cabaret in the city of Erbil. She went on to delight audiences at home and around the region, eventually performing in the U.S. and Europe as well. Her ability to sing the music of maqam al-’iraqi, a 400-year-old style weaving sung poetry together with traditional instrumentation, made her stand out from her contemporaries throughout the Middle East.

Throughout her career, Iskandar performed for Iraqi monarchs and government leaders. Iskandar voluntarily retired following the country’s 1979 political change. Though publicly silent, Iraq’s “blackbird” never lost her passion for singing, performing for friends and loved ones in private.
Her music lives on today through songs like "Ya aqqid alhajibayn" and "Ikhlas meni" for the world to enjoy.

Happy birthday, Afifa Iskandar!

[9A]

October 31, 2019
Carlos Drummond de Andrade’s 117th Birthday








“What now, José?” asked Brazilian writer Carlos Drummond de Andrade in a popular poem from his 1942 anthology, Poesias. Today’s Doodle celebrates an individual whom many consider one of the greatest poets in modern Brazilian literature. Born in the mining town of Itabira on this day in 1902, Drummond composed poems that broke formal rules in verse and expressed the stresses of modern life. He also worked as a literary critic and journalist, writing short semi-fictional newspaper essays, known as crônicas, about the lives of ordinary people, including children and the poor.

After co-founding the literary journal A Revista in 1925, Drummond spent years on his poetry collection Alguma Poesia, emerging as a leading figure in Brazilian modernism. Having earned his degree in pharmacy, he went on to work for Brazil’s Ministry of Education as well as the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Service of Brazil. Throughout his career, he published over a dozen volumes of poetry and a handful of collections of crônicas. His 1986 collection Traveling in the Family: Selected Poems includes English translations by prominent poets Elizabeth Bishop and Mark Strand.

Drummond has received many awards—including the Brazilian Union of Writers Prize—and has become a fixture of Brazilian popular culture. His “Canção Amiga” [“Friendly Song”] was printed on Brazilian currency, and a statue of the poet stands near the ocean in Rio de Janeiro.

[9A]

October 31, 2011
Parkes Observatory's 50th Anniversary





The Parkes Observatory [also known as "The Dish"] is a radio telescope observatory, located 20 kilometres [12 mi] north of the town of Parkes, New South Wales, Australia. It was one of several radio antennae used to receive live television images of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Its scientific contributions over the decades led the ABC to describe it as "the most successful scientific instrument ever built in Australia" after 50 years of operation.

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June 27, 2021
Mina Wylie's 130th Birthday





Today’s Doodle, illustrated by guest artist Alice Lindstrom, celebrates the 130th birthday of Australian athlete Wilhelmina Wylie, the first Australian woman to win a silver medal in Olympic swimming.

On this day in 1891, Wilhelmina “Mina” Wylie was born in Sydney, Australia, as the second child of Australasian distance-diving champion Henry Wylie. Her swimming achievements began much earlier than most–Wylie joined her father and brothers in successfully swimming with her hands and feet tied at only five years old! She placed second in her first conventional swim meet before turning 10, and continued to train rigorously throughout her youth at Wylie’s Baths, a coastal tidal pool founded in Coogee by her father in 1907.

The next year, Wylie broke the world record in the 100-yard freestyle event. She set her sights on the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, which was the first to hold a women’s swimming event. But Wylie’s aims were complicated by an outdated rule of the New South Wales Ladies’ Amateur Swimming Association that prohibited women from competing with men. Public uproar ensued until restrictions loosened, allowing Wylie to dive headfirst into Olympic history as a silver-medal 100-meter freestyle champion.

By the time she hung up her competitive swimming cap in 1934, Wylie held 115 state and national titles, complemented by freestyle, breaststroke, and backstroke world records. In honor of her lifetime achievements, the International Swimming Hall of Fame inducted Wylie into its ranks in 1975, and today, a sculpture in her likeness inspires swimmers at Wylie’s Baths.

Happy birthday, Mina Wylie, and thank you for inspiring future generations of swimmers to take the plunge!

[9A]

June 27, 2016
19th Anniversary of the first Sepaktakraw Women's Competition






Today marks the 19th anniversary of the first women's sepak takraw competition. The sport is like volleyball except instead of using arms and hands, you use feet, knees, hips, chest and head. Athletes perform acrobatic kicks, flips, and techniques like the horse-kick serve to rocket-power the takraw over the net. A sepak or 'slam' of the takraw can hit blazing speeds of over 70 miles per hour. The Thai women's team regularly out-perform their rivals, and are poised for yet another dominant year.

Sepak takraw, or kick volleyball, is a sport native to Southeast Asia. Sepak takraw differs from the similar sport of footvolley in its use of a rattan ball and only allowing players to use their feet, knee, and head to touch the ball.

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July 16, 2018
Celebrating World Cup 2018 Champions: France!

Congratulations to the 2018 FIFA World Cup champions: France!

Over the past month, players from the men's national teams of 32 countries competed for top rank across 12 venues in 11 cities across Russia. With a total of 64 matches [[and plenty of GOOOALS!), the games have culminated at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, where the French national team has won to become the 2018 World Cup champions.

This year's Doodle series celebrated the rich cultures and talent of all 32 participating countries by featuring guest artists hailing from each nation. We hope you've enjoyed all 32 Doodles throughout the games, each illustrating the artist's interpretation of, "What ⚽ looks like in my country."
Today's Doodle is a unique creation by our very own French Doodler, Helene Leroux, depicting, "What World Cup victory looks like in my country!"

Cheers to all the talented players around the world. See you next time!

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September 13, 2015
22nd anniversary of the official recognition of French traditional bread

[In honor of those of you who took up bread baking during the Covid
shut down and isolation. There was even a shortage of yeast.]





It’s difficult to appreciate something as humble as a loaf of bread--the transformative powers of yeast, the unequivocal and even legal necessity of proper kneading--without having tried to bake one yourself. So while artist Matt Cruickshank sketched today’s Doodle, we tried. A lot.

There's nothing quite like freshly baked bread. Its magic transcends the sum of its parts: the crunch of the crust, the spring of the crumb; the way its scent suffuses the air with warmth.

I've baked sporadically since I first tried the bread recipe in a cookbook my aunt gave me when I was a child, and my love of bread and baking was nurtured by my father's delicious weekend breads. When I joined the doodle team last year, I hadn't baked in a while, but in short order discovered that several of my teammates were active bakers. There were often fresh baked treats passed around at our Tuesday morning brainstorming sessions, and, my interest rekindled, I began taking to the oven regularly.

After several months, I had yet to attempt the true test of a baker's skill: the baguette. I went to work, researching recipes and techniques, poring over pictures, visiting local bakeries, and trying my hand every weekend. I baked baguett es until I had no room left to store them.

The perfect baguette--if it exists--is elusive, and the French bakers capable of producing anything close are true artisans. To celebrate the French government’s 1993 décret pain, we offer a look into our enthusiastic, sometimes moderately successful, often mutated attempts at proper French bread.

Jonathan Shneier, Doodle Engineer and Baker in Residence

The rise
Stretching and foldingNopeSome of our finest work

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September 13, 2020
Celebrating Terry Fox

“I want to try the impossible to show it can be done.”—Terry Fox

Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Toronto-based guest artist Lynn Scurfield, celebrates the Canadian athlete and humanitarian Terry Fox. After losing his leg to cancer, Fox embarked on the “Marathon of Hope”—a historic cross-Canada journey to raise awareness and money for cancer research.
Born on July 28, 1958, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Terry Fox was a natural competitor known for his commitment and fierce work ethic. In 1977, at the age of 18, Fox was diagnosed with bone cancer, resulting in the amputation of his right leg.

During his months of treatment, he was deeply affected by the stories of the patients around him, igniting in him an urgent desire to end the suffering cancer causes. Refusing to allow his amputation to slow him down, Fox decided to run across Canada, raising much-needed research funding to find a cure for cancer.

Three years following his diagnosis, on April 12, 1980, Fox humbly embarked on his “Marathon of Hope” in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Through biting winds and summer heat, he ran close to a marathon a day for over four months, an incredible 5,373 kilometres [approximately 3,339 miles] in all. Although a return of Fox’s cancer prevented him from completing the route, he achieved his goal of raising a dollar for every Canadian citizen, totaling over $24 million for cancer research.

The first Terry Fox Run, held on this day in 1981, united 300,000 people across Canada to walk, run or cycle in Terry’s memory, and raised $3.5 million for cancer research. Today, the Terry Fox Run is held virtually in his honor, and has raised over $800 million since its inception.

Thank you, Terry, for every step you took towards the cancer-free world you bravely envisioned.

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June 14, 2018
World Cup 2018 - Day 1







Today marks the official opening of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia! Over the next month, players from the men's national teams of 32 countries will compete for top rank across 12 venues in 11 cities around the country.

While 20 of the 32 teams will be making repeat appearances at the tournament – including defending champs Germany – it's also a first for some, including Iceland and Panama. With a total of 64 matches [and plenty of GOOOALS!], the games will culminate at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on July 15.

This year's Doodle series will celebrate the rich cultures and talent of all 32 participating countries by featuring guest artists hailing from each nation! Tune in to catch all 32 Doodles throughout the games, each illustrating the artist's interpretation of "What ⚽ looks like in my country."

Today's Doodle collage, created by Gluekit, gives a special sneak peek at the diverse art to come by incorporating elements from the 32 unique guest-artist Doodles.

Best of luck to all the contenders & let the matches begin!

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Jun 15, 2018
World Cup 2018 - Day 2



The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia is underway! Over the next month, players from the men's national teams of 32 countries will compete for top rank across 12 venues in 11 cities around the country. With a total of 64 matches [and plenty of GOOOALS!], the games will culminate at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on July 15.

This year's Doodle series celebrates the rich cultures and talent of all 32 participating countries by featuring guest artists hailing from each nation! Tune in to catch all 32 Doodles throughout the games, each illustrating the artist's interpretation of "What ⚽ looks like in my country."

[9A]

Jun 16, 2018
Marga Faulstich’s 103rd Birthday





If your future’s so bright you have to wear shades, make sure you take a moment to celebrate Marga Faulstich’s birthday.

One of Germany’s most important scientists, Faulstich would have turned 103 today. Her work in the field of glass chemistry led to dozens of patents that are still used in the manufacture of lightweight anti-reflective glasses.

In 1939, while working at the Schott AG company with Dr. Walter Geffcken, Faulstich developed a way to coat smaller glass objects by depositing hard vacuum vapor—changing gas directly to a solid without going through a liquid state. Her breakthrough made it possible for glass with anti-reflective coating that shields X-rays and UV light, among other applications.

She was recognized in 1972 for her role in creating the SF 64 lens [known in North America as HIGH-LITE®], thinner, lighter weight corrective lenses.

Her life and work continue to inspire girls and boys alike to excel in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Thank you Marga Faulstich! Happy birthday!

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June 16, 2013
Granadas Millenium

One of my favorite places I've ever visited: Granada, Spain.

When it popped up in the pipeline as a potential Google Doodle celebrating the Granadas Millenium, I knew I had to do it. A fellow doodler was gracious enough to let me take the assignment off his hands, though it meant I had to juggle the deadline with a mildly interactive Father's Day doodle on the same day.

While the doodle acknowledges a festive occasion, I really wanted to highlight the amazing juxtapositions of the city itself: A majestic Moorish/Medieval stronghold against the stuccoed Spanish houses. The expanse of the Sierra Nevada mountain range against the narrow winding alleyways. The city itself is at once wonderfully alive and sleepy with plenty to do or not do.

[9A]

June 16, 2014
World Cup 2014 #12

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July 14, 2021
Bastille Day 2021





Today’s Doodle celebrates Bastille Day, also known in France as July 14th or National Day. On this day in 1789, the Parisian populace toppled a medieval fortress known as the Bastille, transforming this stone tower from a symbol of historical injustice into a beacon of liberty, equality, and fraternity.

Widely regarded as a major catalyst of the French Revolution, the storming of the Bastille represents the birth of a modern nation. This momentous event incited nation-wide solidarity, and to celebrate its first birthday, national officials organized a 10,000 person ceremony coined the “Festival of the Federation.” Another milestone anniversary which is now commemorated each Bastille Day, this patriotic soirée culminated in a revelatory feast, complete with song and dance.

The 230-year tradition of celebrating these definitive moments in history lives on throughout the international French community. Celebrations around the world host music and dance performances highlighting regional Francophone culture, alongside fireworks, parades, and spreads of staple French dishes!

Vive le 14 Juillet! Long live July 14th!

[9A]

November 27, 2018
Fe del Mundo’s 107th Birthday






“I’m glad that I have been very much involved in the care of children, and that I have been relevant to them,” says Filipina physician Fe del Mundo. “They are the most outstanding feature in my life.”
Born in Manilla on this day in 1911, del Mundo was inspired to study medicine by her older sister who did not herself live to realize her dream of becoming a doctor. Also known as “The Angel of Santo Tomas,” del Mundo devoted her life to child healthcare and revolutionized pediatric medicine in the process.

A gifted student who became the first woman admitted to Harvard Medical School, del Mundo returned home after completing her studies in the U.S. During World War II, she set up a hospice where she treated more than 400 children and later became director of a government hospital.

Frustrated with the bureaucracy, she eventually sold her house and belongings to finance the first pediatric hospital in the Philippines. Del Mundo lived on the second floor of the Children's Medical Center in Quezon City, making early morning rounds until she was 99 years old, even in a wheelchair.

When she wasn’t treating patients she was teaching students, publishing important research in medical journals, and authoring a definitive ‘Textbook of Pediatrics.’ She established the Institute of Maternal and Child Health to train doctors and nurses, and became the first woman to be conferred the title National Scientist of the Philippines and received many awards for her outstanding service to humankind.

Happy Birthday, Fe del Mundo!

[9A]

November 27, 2010
Bruce Lee's 70th Birthday






Lee Jun-fan [Chinese: 李振藩; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973], commonly known as Bruce Lee [Chinese: 李小龍], was a Chinese American martial artist, actor, director, martial arts instructor and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that is often credited with paving the way for modern mixed martial arts [MMA]. Lee is considered by commentators, critics, media, and other martial artists to be the most influential martial artist of all time and a pop culture icon of the 20th century, who bridged the gap between East and West. He is credited with helping to change the way Asians were presented in American films.

The son of Cantonese opera star Lee Hoi-chuen, Lee was born in the Chinatown area of San Francisco, on November 27, 1940, to parents from Hong Kong, and was raised with his family in Kowloon, Hong Kong. He was introduced to the film industry by his father and appeared in several films as a child actor. His early martial arts experience included Wing Chun [trained under Yip Man], tai chi, boxing [winning the Hong Kong schools boxing tournament], and street fighting [frequently participating in Hong Kong rooftop fights]. Lee moved to the United States at the age of 18 to receive his higher education at the University of Washington in Seattle; it was during this time that he began teaching martial arts, later drawing significant attention at the 1964 Long Beach International Karate Championships. In the 1970s, his Hong Kong and Hollywood-produced films elevated the traditional martial arts film to a new level of popularity and acclaim, sparking a surge of interest in the Chinese nation and Chinese martial arts in the West. The direction and tone of his films dramatically influenced and changed martial arts and martial arts films worldwide.

He is noted for his roles in five feature-length martial arts films in the early 1970s: Lo Wei's The Big Boss [1971] and Fist of Fury [1972]; Golden Harvest's Way of the Dragon [1972], directed and written by Lee; and Golden Harvest and Warner Brothers' Enter the Dragon [1973] and The Game of Death [1978], both directed by Robert Clouse. Lee became an iconic figure known throughout the world, particularly among the Chinese, based upon his portrayal of Chinese nationalism in his films, and among Asian Americans for defying stereotypes associated with the emasculated Asian male. Having initially learnt Wing Chun, tai chi, boxing, and street fighting, he combined them with other influences from various sources into the spirit of his personal martial arts philosophy, which he dubbed Jeet Kune Do [The Way of the Intercepting Fist]. Lee had residences in Hong Kong and Seattle.

Lee died on July 20, 1973, at the age of 32. There was no visible external injury; however, according to autopsy reports, Lee's brain had swollen considerably. The autopsy found Equagesic in his system. When the doctors announced Lee's death, it was officially ruled a "death by misadventure". Since his death, Lee has continued to be a prominent influence on modern combat sports, including judo, karate, mixed martial arts, and boxing, as well as modern popular culture, including film, television, comics, animation and video games. Time named Lee one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century.

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Dec 1, 2010
55th Anniversary: Rosa Parks refuses to move







Rosa Louise McCauley Parks [February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005]

Famous for an act of civil disobedience, Rosa Parks made history when she refused to give up her seat and move to the back of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This simple act rendered her an icon for equal rights in America. We wanted to celebrate the spirit of equality.

On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Parks rejected bus driver James F. Blake's order to vacate a row of four seats in the "colored" section in favor of a white passenger, once the "white" section was filled. Parks was not the first person to resist bus segregation, but the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People [NAACP] believed that she was the best candidate for seeing through a court challenge after her arrest for civil disobedience in violating Alabama segregation laws, and she helped inspire the black community to boycott the Montgomery buses for over a year. The case became bogged down in the state courts, but the federal Montgomery bus lawsuit Browder v. Gayle resulted in a November 1956 decision that bus segregation is unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

After retirement, Parks wrote her autobiography and continued to insist that there was more work to be done in the struggle for justice. Parks received national recognition, including the NAACP's 1979 Spingarn Medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, and a posthumous statue in the United States Capitol's National Statuary Hall. Upon her death in 2005, she was the first woman to lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda. California and Missouri commemorate Rosa Parks Day on her birthday, February 4, while Ohio and Oregon commemorate the anniversary of her arrest, December 1.



Rosa Parks in 1955, with
Martin Luther King, Jr. in the background

Rosa Parks statue by Eugene Daub [2013],
in National Statuary Hall, United States Capitol

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June 2, 2014
Republic Day Italy 2014






It’s “Festa della Repubblica” [Republic Day] In Italy! This day commemorates the referendum of 1946, when Italian voters elected to end 85 years of monarchy and change their government to a republic.

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June 12, 2019
Russia Day 2019




Today’s Doodle by St. Petersburg-based guest artists Anya and Varya Kendel salutes Russia Day, celebrating the world’s largest country and the accomplishments of its people all around the world.

June 12th marks the 1990 declaration that signaled the birth of the independent Russian Federation, as well as the dissolution of the Soviet Union on the same day a year later. Declared an official national holiday in 1994, the “Day of Signing the Declaration of State Sovereignty” commemorates the birth of a new nation, the creation of the post of President, the adoption of the red, white, and blue national flag, and the new national anthem. The holiday was renamed Russia Day in 2002.

Russia Day is observed all across the country—from major metropolitan centers such as St. Petersburg to smaller cities like Kemerovo, Perm, Veliky Novgorod, Krasnoyarsk, and Tambov—with concerts and other cultural activities by day and fireworks at night.

This Doodle also highlights the beauty of Russia’s natural landscapes, featuring some of its most iconic sights, such as Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus; the Klyuchevskaya volcano; and Siberia’s Lake Baikal, the oldest and deepest lake in the world, with its distinctive Shamanka Rock.

С днем России! [Happy Russia Day]!

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June 12, 2016
Russia National Day 2016



Хаппи День России!

Today is the national day of Russia, which is aptly called "Russia Day". On this day, many people in Russia will have the day off to spend with friends and family. There will be fireworks and concerts in many different cities — in Red Square in Moscow, the celebration is sure to be lots of fun. From the square you can see both the Kremlin where the President lives and Saint Basil's Cathedral, which is the subject of today's Doodle.

The cathedral was completed in 1561 and its iconic spires and vivid colors set the tone for many other buildings in the square. To capture the authentic Russian feel of the structure, Robinson Wood matched the text and frame of today's Doodle to the architectural style of the cathedral.

[9A]

September 17, 2016
Irena Kwiatkowska’s 104th birthday





Beloved Polish actress Irena Kwiatkowska was born today in 1912. A household name in Poland, Kwiatkowska was celebrated for her work in cabaret, comedy, film, theater, radio, and television. She is best known for the television character "Working Woman," who did many different [and often wacky] jobs, to great humorous effect.

When Kwiatkowska was born, Poland was part of the Russian Empire. She witnessed dramatic changes in Poland's culture and politics during her lifetime. Whether she was advocating for Polish independence, teaching at the Warsaw Theatre Academy, performing a comedic monologue, or singing in a movie musical, Irena Kwiatkowska sought the best for her country -- and brought her best to her audiences.

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October 26, 2018
Austria National Day 2018




Each year on October 26, Austrians celebrate the day in 1955 when the Austrian Parliament declared permanent neutrality, establishing the country as independent democratic and multicultural state, respecting its neighbors and the human rights of all its citizens. This year’s Nationalfeiertag [national holiday] is special because it also marks 100 years since the formation of the Republic of German Austria.

Today’s Doodle depicts the Pallas-Athene-Brunnen Fountain, situated on Vienna’s famous Ringstrasse in front of the Parliament building. The Austrian sculptor Karl Kundmann created the marble figure of the Greek goddess of wisdom, seen here wearing a sash to commemorate Austria’s centennial.

National Day celebrations include a ceremony at Heldenplatz [Hero’s Square] featuring the Federal President and Minister of Defense, a televised state of the union address, and the swearing-in of new recruits to the Austrian armed forces. At the Heldenplatz the Austrian military performs, twirling and tossing their rifles in the air as the music plays.

Happy National Day, Austria!

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October 26, 2020
Dolores Cacuango's 139th Birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates the 139th birthday of Ecuadorian civil rights pioneer Dolores Cacuango, who spent decades fighting fiercely for the rights of the country’s Indigenous people. Cacuango was a dedicated advocate for accessible education and instrumental in establishing Ecuador’s first bilingual schools, which practiced in Spanish and the Indigenous language of Quichua.

Dolores Cacuango was born on this day in 1881 in the Pesillo hacienda in the northern canton of Cayambe, Ecuador. Like many Indigenous people before her, she began to work at a young age, and at 15 years old was forced to relocate to the Ecuadorian capital of Quito to become a servant. With new insight into the troubling racism and class inequality facing her people, Cacuango returned home committed to the struggle for change.

Back in Pesillo, she became a leader in the movement against the exploitative hacienda system, and through her dynamic speeches, she advocated for causes like land rights, economic justice, and education for the Indigenous community. In 1926, she helped lead the people of Cayambe in challenging the sale of their community land, setting a strong example for future movements. Some two decades later in 1944, she also contributed to the establishment of the groundbreaking Ecuadorian Federation of Indians, which united Indigenous people around economic and cultural issues. She spent the rest of her life advocating for indigenous rights for current and future generations.

Today, Cacuango’s legacy is remembered with a street named in her honor in northern Quito.

[9A]

October 26, 2015
Austria National Day 2015






Today marks the first day of Austria's complete independence as a sovereign state. Much of Austria's celebrations will take place in Vienna, including a celebration at Heldenplatz, the most prominent square in the city center, and free admission at federal museums. If you're not in the country, you can explore The Austrian Museum of Fine Arts [Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien] on Google Cultural Institute.

Another one of the long-held traditions of Austria includes equestrian exercises performed by world-famous white Lipizzaner stallions. These horses are trained in Vienna to perform highly technical drills that demonstrate the precise movements required in ancient battlefield maneuvers. This tradition is what we’re celebrating in the Doodle today, created by Doodler Robinson Wood. The horse and rider in this doodle are performing a courbette [a standing jump] which is one of the most difficult movements, and demands intense focus and partnership between horse and rider.

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December 5, 2017
Veronika Dudarova’s 101st Birthday





In today’s Doodle, Google-hued lights shine on a group of musicians led by Veronika Dudarova, the first Russian woman to conduct an orchestra.

Born in 1916, Dudarova spent her formative years studying piano and musicology in the company of some of Russia’s most renowned musical talents. In 1947, she graduated from the Moscow Conservatory, joining the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra as a junior conductor. She spent 13 years in that role before taking over as principal conductor in 1960. In 1991, Dudarova formed the Symphony Orchestra of Russia, which she led until 2003.

One of the very few female conductors in the world, Dudarova holds the Guinness World Record as the only woman to lead a major symphony orchestra for more than 50 years. During her career, she won the State Russian Music Award, was named the People’s Artist of the USSR, and even had a minor planet named after her.

On what would’ve been Dudarova’s 101st birthday, we honor the conductor’s dramatic style as she leads the Google letters in a passionate, homepage-worthy performance.

[9A]

December 5, 2014
Lina Bo Bardi's 100th Birthday





Pioneering modernist architect Lina Bo Bardi was born in Italy in 1914 but spent much of her life in Brazil. She graduated from the University of Rome in 1939 and worked as an illustrator during World War II. Shortly after the war, she traveled to South America and decided to establish an architecture firm in Brazil. There, she designed many iconic buildings, including one of her most famous works, the São Paulo Museum of Art. The local legislature was worried that the museum would block views of the city, so Bo Bardi suspended the building high above a public square.

Beyond her career as an architect, Bo Bardi was also a publisher, teacher, and politically activist in both Italy and Brazil. She saw architecture as an expression of people's lives. "I believe in an international community of interests, in a concert of all the private voices," she said. She noted that "architecture and architectural freedom are above all a social issue that must be seen from inside a political structure, not from outside it."

[9A]

September 16, 2019
Respect For The Aged Day 2019





Today’s Doodle celebrates Japan’s Respect for the Aged Day, also known as Keiro no Hi. Starting in a small village in Hyōgo Prefecture, it was conceived as a time to be kind to seniors and ask for their wisdom and advice about ways to improve life in the village. By 1966, it had become a national holiday to pay respect to elders on the third week of September and is now celebrated all across Japan.

Starting in 2003, the holiday was moved to the third Monday in September. The resulting long weekend allows working people time to visit their parents and grandparents. Those who cannot return home in person often call or write. Some volunteers deliver food to homebound elders, and other communities organize special shows known as keirokai, where young people entertain an aged audience.

Japanese people tend to be very long-lived, with elderly residents making up over 26 percent of the total population. Many Japanese people wear red on their 60th birthday, because according to tradition, age 60 marks a new beginning to be a child once again.

[9A]

July 24, 2021
Doodle Champion Island Games [July 24]





The Tokyo Olympics are set to begin on Friday, and keeping in that friendly competitive spirit, Google is launching “Champion Island,” their largest-ever Doodle game, letting you compete for one of four teams across seven different minigames and explore a fantastic world.

Created in partnership with STUDIO4°C, a respected Japanese animation studio, this latest Google Doodle lets you take on the role of Lucky the Ninja Cat as she finds herself on Champion Island as a festival is underway. You get started in the game by joining a team — Red, Blue, Yellow, or Green, the four colors of the “Google” logo — then venturing to one of the seven competition areas.


Each competition is its own minigame that has you face off against each sport’s champions, as inspired by a relevant character or creature from Japanese history and folklore. For instance, the archery minigame pits you against a champion inspired by famed samurai Nasu no Yoichi.


. . . . . .

As the excitement builds around the Tokyo Olympics, Google, too, joined the hype on Friday [July 23] with its latest doodle in a fitting tribute to Japanese culture. The doodle not only presents an immersive experience with a range of sports to play, it is accompanied by a short anime video featuring Lucky, a feline athlete, reminiscent of the ‘lucky cat’ or the maneki-neko, a popular figurine across Asia.

. . . . . . .

Welcome to the Doodle Champion Island Games! Over the coming weeks, join calico [c]athlete Lucky as she explores Doodle Champion Island: a world filled with seven sport mini-games, legendary opponents, dozens of daring side quests, and a few new [and old ] friends. Her ultimate goal? Defeat each sport Champion to collect all seven sacred scrolls—and complete extra hidden challenges across Champion Island in the purrr-ocess.


Are you feline Lucky? Click on today’s Doodle, join one of the four color teams to contribute to the real-time global leaderboard, and let the games begin!

Go behind-the-scenes of today’s interactive Doodle, made in partnership with Tokyo-based animation studio,

STUDIO4°C

!

[9A]

Jun 29, 2016
Edward Koiki Mabo’s 80th birthday






Born on the Australian island of Mer in 1936, Edward Koiki Mabo was an energetic campaigner for the rights of Indigenous people and their claim to the lands declared terra nullius, or belonging to no one, despite the history of its earlier inhabitants. He also set up a health service and a school in Townsville, Queensland where he lived with his wife and their ten children.

The “Mabo Case” triumphed in the courts in 1992 - overturning terra nullius and returning ownership of the islands to the Indigenous people. Although he died shortly before the verdict, his activism changed the lives of so many.

Today’s Doodle is a tribute to Edward Koiki Mabo’s legacy on what would have been his 80th birthday.

[9A]

Jun 30, 2016
165th Anniversary of First Firefighter's Corp in Chile






Since 1851, Chile’s bomberos have risked life and limb to keep citizens safe from fire. There are 307 individual fire departments across Chile bonded together by Chile’s National Board of Fire Departments. What makes the bomberos especially unique is that they all serve on a volunteer basis.

It all started on this day in the bustling seaport of Valparaiso, where the city’s most influential citizens came together to form the First Firefighter’s Corp. More fire departments followed, each created by and for the community it represented.

Today’s Doodle was inspired by those who’ve served the people of Chile through their dedication and selflessness. Though they operate independently, the country’s bomberos share a common goal of working hard to protect local neighborhoods and communities.

[9A]

June 30, 2011
Czeslaw Milosz's 100th Birthday




Czesław Miłosz was a Polish-American poet, prose writer, translator, and diplomat. Regarded as one of the great poets of the 20th century, he won the 1980 Nobel Prize in Literature. In its citation, the Swedish Academy called Miłosz a writer who "voices man's exposed condition in a world of severe conflicts".

Miłosz survived the German occupation of Warsaw during World War II and became a cultural attaché for the Polish government during the postwar period. When communist authorities threatened his safety, he defected to France and ultimately chose exile in the United States, where he became a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. His poetry—particularly about his wartime experience—and his appraisal of Stalinism in a prose book, The Captive Mind, brought him renown as a leading émigré artist and intellectual.

Throughout his life and work, Miłosz tackled questions of morality, politics, history, and faith. As a translator, he introduced Western works to a Polish audience, and as a scholar and editor, he championed a greater awareness of Slavic literature in the West. Faith played a role in his work as he explored his Catholicism and personal experience.

[9A]

Jul 1, 2016
Canada Day 2016






Break out the Canadian flags and barbecue - today is Canada Day! Also known as the fête du Canada and Canada’s birthday, today celebrates July 1, 1867, when three British North American provinces joined to create the confederation of Canada.

While July 1 became a holiday in Canada in 1879, it wasn’t officially celebrated until its 50th anniversary in 1917. Celebrations this year [and most] include parades, outdoor concerts, and air shows from Canada’s Air Force.

Today’s Doodle commemorates the holiday with a depiction of aurora borealis, or the Northern Lights. Arguably one of nature’s most beautiful sights, the Northern Lights are best viewed on a crisp Canadian night.

Happy birthday, Canada!

[9A]

Jul 4, 2016
Mudik 2016





Beep, beep! Indonesia’s streets are busier than usual today due to Mudik, the mass migration of city dwellers to their rural hometowns.

Coinciding with the end of Ramadan, Mudik sends millions of travelers weaving through the country via car, bus, motorbike, and train. Today’s Doodle captures the excitement of this journey and the gifts that are exchanged at the end of the road.

Safe travels to all this year!

[9A]

July 4, 2010
4th of July 2010 and Rube Goldberg's Birthday





Reuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg [July 4, 1883 – December 7, 1970], known best as Rube Goldberg, was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer, and inventor.

Goldberg is best known for his popular cartoons depicting complicated gadgets performing simple tasks in indirect, convoluted ways. The cartoons led to the expression "Rube Goldberg machines" to describe similar gadgets and processes. Goldberg received many honors in his lifetime, including a Pulitzer Prize for political cartooning in 1948, the National Cartoonists Society's Gold T-Square Award in 1955, and the Banshees' Silver Lady Award in 1959. He was a founding member and first president of the National Cartoonists Society, which hosts the annual Reuben Award, honoring the top cartoonist of the year and named after Goldberg, who won the award in 1967. He is the inspiration for international competitions known as Rube Goldberg Machine Contests, which challenge participants to create a complicated machine to perform a simple task.

Professor Butts and the Self-Operating Napkin [1931]

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July 6, 2021
Shusaku Arakawa's 85th Birthday






Today’s Doodle celebrates the 85th birthday of Japanese-American author, conceptual artist, and trans-humanist architect Shusaku Arakawa. Together with his wife, Arakawa chased a philosophical quest for immortality through experimental paintings, literature, and, at the grandest scale, architectural oddities—a concept coined Reversible Destiny.

Shusaku Arakawa was born on this day in 1936 in Nagoya, Japan. His early life was defined by mathematics and medicine studies before he pursued surrealist painting at Tokyo’s Musashino Art University. As an early adopter of the international conceptual art movement, he joined similarly minded artists after his 1961 move to New York City. Soon after, Shusako met a poet who became his lifelong artistic collaborator and spouse: Madeline Gins.

In 1963, the couple began the ambitious “The Mechanism of Meaning” series—an assemblage of 83 large panel paintings crafted with the aim of investigating the mysteries of human consciousness that required over a decade to bring to fruition. Global exhibitions of the masterwork funded the couple’s next lofty endeavor: extending life expectancy by fostering a novel relationship with the built world called “procedural architecture.” They hypothesized that engaging residents with challenging interior designs, such as steep and uneven floor plans, would boost immunity and fight aging by promoting an active and thoughtful relationship with one’s surroundings. Their first residential works of procedural architecture can be found at Reversible Destiny Lofts, a complex in Tokyo and the inspiration for today’s Doodle artwork.

Arakawa and Gins devoted their lives to designing an architectural fountain of youth and founded multiple institutions to advance this project, including the Reversible Destiny Foundation. Today, several installations of their eccentric architecture remain open to the public, such as the Reversible Destiny Lofts. This renown project comprises a brightly colored residential complex in Tokyo that served as the couple’s first work of procedural architecture, which they dedicated to Helen Keller.

[9A]

July 6, 2012
José María Velasco's 172nd Birthday






José María Tranquilino Francisco de Jesús Velasco Gómez Obregón, generally known as José María Velasco, [Temascalcingo, 6 July 1840 – Estado de México, 26 August 1912] was a 19th-century Mexican polymath, most famous as a painter who made Mexican geography a symbol of national identity through his paintings. He was both one of the most popular artists of the time and internationally renowned. He received many distinctions such as the gold medal of the Mexican National Expositions of Bellas Artes in 1874 and 1876; the gold medal of the Philadelphia International Exposition in 1876, on the centenary of U.S. independence; and the medal of the Paris Universal Exposition in 1889, on the centenary of the outbreak of the French Revolution. His painting El valle de México is considered Velasco's masterpiece, of which he created seven different renditions. Of all the nineteenth-century painters, Velasco was the "first to be elevated in the post-Revolutionary period as an exemplar of nationalism."